Time for Tea....Cannizaro House Hotel, Wimbledon

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - sorry it's been a while, but we're back today with a lovely afternoon tea experience that our lovely friend Sheree enjoyed recently. Sheree visited Cannizaro House Hotel in Wimbledon. Let's take a look at her afternoon tea adventure....

My mother-in-law was visiting for the weekend so we decided on an afternoon tea treat at Cannizaro House Hotel in Wimbledon, which is part of the Hotel du Vin chain. We were seated in the bright and comfortable Orangerie which looked directly onto Cannizaro Park. 

Afternoon tea - Cannizaro House Hotel

The tea list was extensive and we opted for the Moroccan mint with rose, Jasmine petals and pearls, and the All day Decaf. The food arrived and was plentiful

The savouries included:

Severn and Wye smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel

Egg and cress mayonnaise brioche sub

Ham with Gruyère croissant

Heritage tomato and tapenade galette

Goat’s cheese and spinach quiche

Savoury selection - Cannizaro House Hotel

We also enjoyed fruit scones served with Bonne Maman jam, clotted cream and Lescure butter:

Scone time - Afternoon tea - Cannizaro House Hotel

The sweets included:

Citrus sorbet

Lemon meringue pie

Creme Egg chocolate brownie

Rhubarb and custard doughnut

Homemade apple candy floss

Sweet treats - Cannizaro House Hotel

We really enjoyed the range of treats. The savouries were particularly tasty and fresh, the scones were not served warm but were still nice, and the sweets were a good range and not too filling. Lemon meringue pie is one of my favourites and did not disappoint, and the doughnut was surprisingly light. The candy floss was a fun ending to the tea and made for an attractive display on the cake stand.

Afternoon tea - Cannizaro House Hotel

Although busy with lunches and big tables, the service was friendly and helpful, allowing for dietary requirements, lots of fresh tea and a top up of clotted cream. The cost was £25 per person and was considered worth it for the quality and amount of food.

Looks like Sheree had a wonderful afternoon tea, I love the variety of savouries on offer and the sweets look lovely!

Thank you to Sheree for sharing her afternoon tea adventure with us. If you'd like to find out more about this afternoon tea adventure pop by the Cannizaro House Hotel website.

Don't forget, if you've enjoyed an afternoon tea adventure recently we'd love to hear all about it!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea.....Covent Garden Hotel, London

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're feeling tea-riffic today!

Last weekend our lovely friend Sheree was celebrating and her birthday......and what better way to celebrate than a spot of tea. Sheree and her friends enjoyed an afternoon tea adventure at the Covent Garden Hotel in London, which is a Firmdale Hotel.

Let's hear all about Sheree's experience......

Afternoon tea - Covent Garden Hotel

Three of us went to tea which is served in the hotel's Brasserie Max Restaurant. This  offers a range of afternoon teas from 'traditional' to 'gentleman's'. The occasion was a double birthday celebration and the choice of menus was important as one of us is on a gluten free and vegetarian diet, so it was helpful to be able to see the gluten free menu beforehand. 

We each chose a different menu - traditional, Covent Garden and gluten free afternoon tea. 

Afternoon Tea Sandwiches - Covent Garden Hotel

Sandwich variety was good and dietary preferences dealt with well, although the gluten free bread was a little dry. Cakes and sweet treats were a good mix of light and fruity to chocolatey, whilst the scones were a good size, fresh and tasty. We were offered more sandwiches and scones, but even I declined as I'd eaten all of my cakes, which is a first as I sometimes prefer savoury food - this says a lot about the range of cakes being just right for me!

In fact our cake stands were left practically empty, which is the sign of a good tea! 

Afternoon tea - Covent Garden Hotel

Gluten Free Afternoon Tea - Covent Garden Hotel

The restaurant itself was very relaxed and comfortable. We were there nattering for over 3 hours and didn't feel rushed to leave. To help my friend and I celebrate our birthdays we were each presented with an extra cake with a candle matching the colour of our tops! Nice touch!

I'd definitely go back to try another tea, or maybe to have the same one again!

Well it looks like Sheree and her friends had a tea-riffic afternoon tea adventure! To find out more about the Covent Garden Hotel pop by their website.

We'd like to thank Sheree for sharing her experience with us - if you enjoy an afternoon tea don't forget to send us a photo....we love to see what treats you've been experiencing!

Thank you for popping by today,
Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea....Lanes of London

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we are joined by the lovely Becca, who recently enjoyed an afternoon tea adventure at Lanes of London.....

Afternoon tea - Lanes of London

Lanes of London is a modern British eatery and bar located on Park Lane in Mayfair, whose website features the sentence "Artisan baking with a focus on indulgence and gluttony". Now that's my kind of establishment!

This afternoon tea adventure began with a little tea talk, featuring teas from JING Teas. The talk was very informative and guests had the opportunity to ask questions about the tea....

Tea talk - Lanes of London

Once teas had been enjoyed, the afternoon tea feast was served which followed the traditional format of crustless sandwiches, buttermilk scones and a selection of seasonal sweet treats.....

Becca really enjoyed the sweet treats on offer at this afternoon tea, especially the pistachio macaroons. Everything was fresh and the flavours were well balanced.

Becca commented on the relaxed and friendly service at Lanes of London, which put guests at ease but was still professional. 

For more information about this afternoon tea please visit the Lanes of London website.

Thank you Becca for sharing your latest afternoon tea adventure with us! If you've enjoyed an afternoon tea recently we'd love to hear all about it - leave a comment on the blog!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea....The Swan Restaurant

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we have another fab guest post to share with you! This time the lovely Victoria is sharing her recent themed afternoon tea at The Swan Restaurant in London. Over to Victoria....

 Having been to The Swan Restaurant (next to the Globe Theatre) for lunch, I was keen to return for afternoon tea.  My husband, Ian, volunteered to come with me for this treat!  The restaurant has the most incredible view of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral and we were lucky enough to have a window table.   

There is a choice of either a Midsummer Night’s Dream themed tea or a gentleman’s afternoon tea, but seeing the list of sweet treats we both plumped for the themed tea.  This costs £26.50, plus a little extra for either bubbles or a “Love Potion” cocktail.  In the interest of this review, I felt that I must sample the cocktail.  A special mention must go to the beautiful crockery, all designed specifically for this themed tea.

All the tea is leaf tea and we were both given a decent sized pot.  Ian plumped for the English Breakfast tea, whereas I had the flowery “Fleur d’Orient” – a hint of jasmine for this theme!  I must mention that my cocktail was far too enjoyable and was a perfect complement to the savoury section of the food.

The Love Potion at The Swan

So, on to the main event.  The savoury plate at the bottom was the place to start, of course.  Only the egg and watercress sandwich was in a traditional finger, but the crusts were off!  The wild mushroom and truffle tart was incredibly flavoursome, the chicken bun was scrumptious and that salmon pancake was divine.  Although the majority were not traditional, they were all delicious so we did not mind that they were not all finger sandwiches! 

Midsummers Night Dream Afternoon tea
at The Swan Restaurant, London

The scones were beautifully warm and consisted of one fruit and one plain scone each.  These were served with raspberry jam and clotted cream in just the right amount for two people for afternoon tea.  Having had the jam or cream first debate, we agreed that it all ends up in our tummies far too quickly.

Midsummers Night Dream Afternoon tea
at The Swan Restaurant, London

Up to that top layer, we were in for more of a treat.  I think that Puck would have approved of the hibiscus and apricot shot in those glasses; maybe that’s what was in the potion he popped into those eyes!  Hopefully, Titania would have approved of the lemon and rose cake whereas Oberon’s favourite would have been the chocolate and violet chouquette (profierole as Ian called it!).

I’ve already sent a photograph to my afternoon tea buddy who lives in Dubai, so she’s hoping to visit The Swan Restaurant when she’s back in London.  In the meantime, I’d recommend the afternoon tea in this ideal setting.

We'd like to give Victoria a huge thank you for sharing her latest afternoon tea adventure with us - it certainly looks and sounds like a delightful experience! What great flavour combinations and just look at that view!

We always love hearing about our readers afternoon tea adventures - if you've visited anywhere recently (either in London or further afield) drop us a line and let us know!

If you'd like to read more about The Swan, pop by their gorgeous website!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea - Coworth Park, Ascot

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends. Today we have another lovely guest post for you as we are joined by my fellow Farnham WI Vice President Lydia, as she enjoyed a recent afternoon tea at Coworth Park.

Coworth Park is part of the Dorchester Group, it's a luxury country house hotel and spa set in beautiful parkland in Ascot. Afternoon tea is served in the beautiful setting of the Drawing Room, and on Saturday and Sundays from 2.30pm guests can enjoy afternoon tea accompanied by live music from either the pianist or harpist.

The afternoon tea menu is seasonal and currently includes

Sandwich selection:

Oak smoked salmon, lemon sour cream

“BLT” Beef, lovage and tomato

Coworth Park Coronation chicken

Cream cheese with cucumber and mint

Egg mayonnaise with shallots and watercress

Afternoon tea sandwiches from Coworth Park, Ascot

Strawberry jam, seasonal compote and clotted cream

Pastry selection: 

Milk chocolate and hazelnut choux bun

Orange mousse on vanilla shortbread

Coworth Park carrot cake

Cinnamon and Bramley apple macaroon

Afternoon tea pastries from
Coworth Park, Ascot

Lydia told me how great this afternoon tea is, the service was great and there is a brilliant tea selection too. As well as traditional and herbal teas, there is also a great selection of seasonal teas:

THE AUTUMN TEA SELECTION

SWEET ALMOND TEA

 China black tea delicately infused with sweet almond.

Soft, mellow and soothing

MANDARIN AND ORANGE SPICE

The headiness of orange blossom infused with China black tea and hint of

cinnamon and cloves, culminating in a truly fragrant and revitalising tea

COCONUT

Classic Ceylon black tea combined with coconut creates perfectly sweet

and rich tea, with nutty flavor

THE CITRUS SENSATION

With a combination of cranberry, orange and rooibos,

this citrus blend mixes fruit sensations with a subtle floral bouquet,

to provide a truly fragrant tea

APPLE ORCHARD

A soft, round tea with fresh apple flavor, warm and calming blend

SUGAR PLUM

Green tea infused with plum and cinnamon

LADY GREY IN WAITING

Take on the Earl Grey tea, fragrant, bright and light black tea infused with

Bergamot oil and delicious citrus peel

I think the sugar plum tea sounds wonderful!

For more information about the Coworth Park afternoon tea pop by their website.

A big thank you to Lydia for sharing her tea-riffic photos with us! If you enjoy a spot of afternoon tea anywhere we'd love to hear all about it - drop us a line or send us some photos!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea....Bailiffscourt Hotel, Climping

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends,

Today we have a rather special guest post for you.....as it's a post featuring my Aunty Chris (and use I am going to call her Aunty Chris throughout this post, because anything else would be weird!) and her Birthday afternoon tea! As a Birthday treat Aunty Chris was taken to Bailiffscourt Hotel in Climping, West Sussex, for a spot of afternoon tea......

Afternoon tea - Bailiffscourt Hotel

The hotel sounds amazing - it's made up of thirty-nine bedrooms in a series of charming houses and cottages, set in thirty acres leading to Climping beach. The buildings include a medieval-style house, thatched houses and cottages, a 13th century chapel and there is an outdoor swimming pool. Looking at their map you can see how extensive the grounds are...

Map of Bailiffscourt Hotel (from hotel website)

More importantly though, lets take a closer look at that afternoon tea which can be enjoyed in one of the lounges around our inner courtyard or if the sun is shining outside in the courtyard amongst the roses.

Tea is served on modern, pretty china and includes all the usual elements....

afternoon tea sandwiches- Bailiffscourt Hotel

Aunty Chris particularly enjoyed the sandwiches, which were crustless and cut into traditional fingers. The fillings were traditional too with salmon, cucumber, ham and egg on offer. The afternoon tea included as many sandwiches as you wanted.

At the bottom of the cake stand were the scones, which were served warm with clotted cream, lemon curd and strawberry preserve...

Afternoon tea scones - Bailiffscourt Hotel

Finally there was the cake selection at the top of the cake stand....

Afternoon tea cakes - Bailiffscourt Hotel

Tea was served in huge teapots - so no fear of running out.....and pouring your tea will count towards your exercise routine (always a bonus!)....

Aunty Chris working out her arm muscles!

All in all it was a lovely afternoon tea. Aunty Chris' favourite bits were the sandwiches and the scones, she also liked the oldie worldy surroundings. 

Afternoon tea at Bailiffscourt Hotel starts at just £25 per person, to find out more please visit their website.

I'd like to thank Aunty Chris for sending me her photos and sharing her afternoon tea adventure with us. I'd also like to wish her a tea-riffic Birthday!

If you'd like to share an afternoon tea with us please get in touch- leave a comment here or get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel

Time for Tea...Hotel Granduca Houston, Texas

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're having a fab day!

Today we are joined on the blog by one of our lovely Facebook friends, Anita from Houston in Texas. Anita recently enjoyed a spot of afternoon tea with her daughter at Hotel Granduca Houston, Texas and we couldn't wait to hear all about it!

Anita enjoying a spot of afternoon tea at
Hotel Granduca Houston, Texas

Hotel Granduca Houston is a luxury hotel which first opened in 2006, the hotel is inspired by the life and history of Adalberto Malatesta, Granduca of Monfallito. Anita says she loves the ambiance of the hotel... it looks just like an Italian Villa. The hotel is full of fresh flowers and beautiful displays....

The afternoon tea is a traditional English afternoon tea with an Italian flair....including delicate savouries - open sandwiches and mini tarts....

Afternoon tea savouries - Hotel Granduca Houston, Texas

and beautiful patisserie....

Afternoon tea sweets, Hotel Granduca Houston, Texas

Anita said she loved the presentation of each course as they were placed in front of you.

The scones are served piping hot right out of the oven.....

Afternoon tea scones at
Hotel Granduca Houston, Texas

and were enjoyed with cream and jam.

Anita enjoyed the white orchid tea with her afternoon tea feast, drank from pretty floral teacups...

Anita reports that they enjoyed a really lovely afternoon tea at the Hotel Granduca Houston. If you'd like to find out more information about the hotel or this scrummy looking afternoon tea please visit their website.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to Anita for sharing her experience with us - all these scrummy photos had our mouths watering! 

If you've enjoyed an afternoon tea somewhere we'd love to hear all about it - leave us a comment on the blog or over on our Facebook page! We'd love you share your adventure with all our blog readers!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea.....Pretty Things, Horsham

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - today we have another wonderful guest post for you. Recently the lovely Sara Smart enjoyed a spot of afternoon tea at Pretty Things in Horsham. Sara often joins us over on Facebook and when she mentioned a review she had written we jumped at the chance of sharing it with you.

Let's find out how Sara's afternoon tea adventure went.....

I'm a huge fan of tea rooms and afternoon teas in particular, to my friends I'm know as the afternoon tea Queen but I didn't know of a tearoom called 'Pretty Things' in Horsham. It was recommended by a friend for me to try and I'm very glad she did. 

Pretty Things Tea Room - Horsham

It was very quiet when my friend and I arrived but it was only 11am on a Monday morning!!!

We were raring to go (we both love our food) but with salivating mouths we decided to have a wander around the 2 story tea shop to have a look at all it had to offer. It had some beautiful gifts to buy, it seems set out well with lots of tables set with vintage tablecloths and pretty accessories, it is beautifully decorated. 

Pretty Things Tea Room - Horsham

We then went back down to take a window seat and choose from the tempting menu. We quickly chose an afternoon tea to share, we added one of their piggy rolls, which can I say was absolutely delicious and an extra piece of cake. My friend and I are definitely in the 'Joey from Friends' camp when it comes to not sharing cake. 

Afternoon tea treats - Pretty Things Tea Room, Horsham

Well the food didn't disappoint it was delicious, the coronation chicken sandwich had a generous tasty amount of filling, the scones beautifully soft and warm with enough clotted cream for both of us to be very happy. 

Afternoon tea - Pretty Things Tea Room, Horsham

We then, after a suitably acceptable pause, allowing for an extra few cups of tea went to choose our cake. Decisions, decisions!!! After much deliberation over the choices on offer, of which there were a few. There were pretty cupcakes, fruity flapjacks, gingerbread men and various slices of flavoured cakes. My friend chose the triple layered coffee cake and I the apple and blackberry cake. Both were deliciously moist and full of flavour and although I was stuffed, I finished every mouthful. 

Afternoon tea cake - Pretty Things Tea Room, Horsham

We weren't rushed at all and we spent a lovely few hours catching up and eating. So to sum up, the service was very good, the piggy rolls were of the best I've had and the scones absolutely fabulous. I will be back with my husband very soon as he will really enjoy it too.

Wow - don't know about you, but I'm drooling over those tea-riffic photos that Sara has shared with us! That triple layer cake looks amazing! For more photos from Pretty Things pop by their Facebook page (there are rather a lot of scrummy cakes on there!).

A big thank you to Sara for sharing this wonderful afternoon tea adventure with us - we look forward to hearing about more teas in the future! If you've enjoyed an afternoon tea and have some photos to share please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for Tea......Pennyhill Park, Surrey

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're well today.

A couple of weekend's ago the lovely Lydia visited Pennyhill Park for a spot of afternoon tea with her friends......and lucky for us she took some photos!

Afternoon tea - Pennyhill Park

Pennyhill Park received a Tea Guild Award of Excellence in 2013 and was awarded "Top City & Country Hotel Tea Awards 2012" by the Tea Guild.

Afternoon tea at Pennyhill Park is served in their Ascot Bar or weather permitting on their pretty terraces in the sunshine. On this occasion Lydia enjoyed tea in the Ascot Bar, where a pianist was also playing.

The Traditional Ascot afternoon tea includes freshly cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones with clotted cream and homemade preserves and a selection of homemade cakes and pastries - all washed down by an extensive choice of tea or coffee.

Afternoon tea - Pennyhill Park

Lydia's favourite part of this afternoon tea adventure was the enticing selection of pastries, which included among other things lemon drizzle cake and macaroons.

Afternoon tea at Pennyhill Park is served throughout the year between Monday - Friday you can enjoy tea between 2pm - 4.30pm and on Saturdays and Sundays the seating times are between 1pm - 5pm. Guests can enjoy a traditional afternoon tea for £33.00 per person, or can indulge in the Royal Ascot afternoon tea which includes a glass of Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, English Sparkling Wine for £41.00 per person. For more information about this afternoon tea please pop by the Pennyhill Park website.

We'd like to thank Lydia for sharing her afternoon tea adventure with us and for sharing those scrummy photos!

If you've enjoyed an afternoon tea adventure recently and took some photos of the experience we'd love to see them - please get in touch!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna 

Time for Tea....The William Cecil Hotel, Stamford

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're having a tea-riffic week!

Today we are joined by the lovely Victoria, who is sharing her recent afternoon tea adventure at The William Cecil Hotel in Stamford. Let's find out about her afternoon tea experience.....

Sophie, Anthea and I, whom had all met through the local branch of the Clandestine Cake Club, decided that a Sunday afternoon treat would be a visit to The William Cecil – a property owned by the Burghley Estate and run by Hillbrooke Hotels.  We were served our tea in the Olympic Bar, which is a nod to the last Lord Burghley’s sporting prowess.  It’s a great place to eat and drink, in civilised surroundings.  I digress…

The William Cecil, Stamford

Afternoon tea for two is £25, but we could easily add another person for £12.50.  Absolutely fantastic value, as we compared our other experiences of afternoon teas up and down the country.  The tea arrived on a three tiered stand and pots of tea, with Teapigs tea, included in the price.

So, the bottom tier had three different types of sandwiches: cheese and pickle, cucumber and smoked salmon.  All were in incredibly soft bread, with tasty fillings and completely crustless; pretty perfect!  There could have been more filling in the cucumber sandwiches, but maybe I’m being fussy.

Afternoon tea - The William Cecil, Stamford

Up to the middle tier, where the warm, plain scones were waiting for us.  Of course, we had the jam or clotted cream discussion, but all three of us agreed that it’s jam first, which we think is the Cornish way.  Whichever way it is, these were delicious and not claggy.  They were deliciously light and fluffy – and didn’t last long on our plates!

Afternoon tea sweet treats
The William Cecil, Stamford

Now to the very top with those sweet treats.  We each started this layer with a macaron, mine was vanilla, Sophie’s was coffee and Anthea’s was strawberry – all were light and very fresh.  Anthea shared her macaron making success (maybe there’s a blogpost waiting there!); we were impressed!  Onto the slice of carrot cake.  Being members of the Clandestine Cake Club, we try to fancy ourselves as Great British Bake Off critics, but there was no criticising here.  We all saved our slab of brownie until last.  Sophie is a brownie baking queen and was disappointed that they weren’t squidgy, but we all agreed that they were delicious.  Not to forget the lemon posset at the end.  A great palate cleanser after all that eating.

A great value afternoon tea, to which we’d all return at some point soon.

Those sweet treats all look rather scrummy don't they! To find out more about the afternoon tea on offer at the William Cecil in Stamford please visit their website.

A huge thank you to Victoria for sharing her afternoon tea adventure with us - we always love to hear where Victoria has been enjoying a spot of afternoon tea! If you have an afternoon tea that you'd like to share with us, please get in touch!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna

Time for....A Guest Post....Urban Retreat Lounge, Harrods

Hello there,

Welcome back to Tea With Me and Friends - we hope you're well today!

This post we are joined by the lovely Melissa, who is sharing her recent afternoon tea adventure at the Urban Retreat Cafe at Harrods. The cafe is on the 5th floor of Harrods and is part of the Urban Retreat salon and spa. Melissa was enjoying her afternoon tea before heading off to see the Mariah Carey concert at the O2.

The Urban Retreat Cafe serves light refreshments from breakfasts to small plates, salads and sandwiches to full afternoon tea feasts or cream teas.

The afternoon tea menu includes:

Selection of open sandwiches

Spiced Coronation chicken 

Smoked salmon, lemon mayonnaise

English cucumber, cream cheese & herbs

Freshly Baked Scones

Cornish clotted cream & strawberry preserve

Miniature treats & fancies

Strawberry Eton mess "cheesecake" pot

Rich chocolate pot, salt caramel, hazelnuts & honeycomb

Mango & passion fruit slice 

The Chocolatier's truffles & macaroons 

Here are Melissa's thoughts: We had open sandwiches on nice rustic bread but there was only one of each variety. We also had one scone each, which was warm and fluffy and delicious - but there was only one tiny pot of jam and a dollop of cream between us. We asked for some butter which took about 10 mins to arrive and unfortunately we had to ask for it twice. 

The dessert pots, cake, macaroons and chocolate were all really gorgeous. 

We had a choice of tea from the menu, we both had Royal breakfast blend. However I asked for another pot and didn't realise we were charged an extra £5 for it. ( I've never had to pay for more tea at afternoon tea anywhere before!) 

I would go there again for an informal tea, it was enjoyable but definitely nothing special. Most customers were people who'd had treatments in the salon or staff on lunch. 

This afternoon tea is £20 per person, and so for the price offers a good, informal afternoon tea adventure - perfect for enjoying with friends on a shopping spree maybe?

For more information pop by the Urban Retreat website.

We'd like to thank Melissa for sharing her afternoon tea adventure with us - we always love to hear about the scrummy afternoon teas you've been enjoying!

Thank you for popping by today,

Rachel & Lorna